Mastering Modern European History 2nd edition

Citation

Taylor, J. (1998), "Mastering Modern European History 2nd edition", European Business Review, Vol. 98 No. 4, pp. 245-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.1998.98.4.245.2

This is the second edition of a highly successful textbook designed to be used at a variety of levels ‐ from GCSE to A‐Level and Adult Education ‐ by an author who is Head of the Continuing Education Unit at the University of Sunderland. The principal amendments to this edition include a revised chapter on European decolonisation, an updated section with the self‐explanatory title “Communist Europe 1985‐9”, and a concluding chapter challengingly entitled “European unity and discord” which offers a succinct analysis of some of the most recent developments in Europe (for example, the Bosnian crisis), and helps the reader to pose informed questions on future developments. The examination questions and source studies appended to each chapter have been revised to conform to the latest syllabuses at GCSE and A‐Level.

In nearly 500 pages the author covers the history of Europe from the French Revolution to the present day, linking his material to eighteenth‐century Europe by a prologue. The work is copiously illustrated, and, in addition to captions, the author provides the student reader with questions on the illustrations. The visual material not only consists of the usual caricatures, engravings and photographs, but also includes some extremely useful technical data ‐ for example, two maps which show how the development of the railway system between 1850 and 1880 facilitated the unification of Germany. The critical apparatus includes, at the end of the volume, a substantial, clearly‐printed alphabetical index to people, places and events, and a scarcely less detailed contents list at the beginning. This careful attention to detail means that the work can also function as a reference book as well as a textbook, an aspect which author and publishers alike seem to have overlooked, but one which they would be well advised to exploit, particularly considering the extremely competitive pricing.

In this work the student will find narrative history with excellent economic and political analysis bereft of all idealism. The sheer range of the volume makes the treatment somewhat cursory at times, so it is important for those preparing for examinations to realise that this text will need supplementing with wider reading from the bibliography with which each chapter is provided.

A work of this scope must inevitably exhibit some errors of detail, and there are some minor mistranslations but, since these do not materially alter the meaning, there is no need to mention them in detail. Two points might, however, be usefully addressed in subsequent editions. First, the extremely small print used for the source material and questions makes the exercises difficult to read. Second, adopting the expression “German‐speaking” might aid the author in his exposition of developments in Austria.

One final observation on this text which is admirable in its ease of access and value for money ‐ the format would be admirably suited for CD‐ROM. Perhaps this is the next development to be hoped for in this successful Macmillan Master series.